Phonograph



(No Model.) 2 Shets-Sheet 1. T. L. DENNIS, JI.

PHONOGRAPH. N0. 590,643; Patented Spt.'28, 1897.

f A v Le E N FQ- i@ N k i@ i f N Il I bq N j g l j Q 'l v s i l La l @LAI ITNESSES: INVENTOR v J. mzdJLe/z/zw r ATTORNEY.

(No Model.) l A2 Sheets-Sheet 2. Y

T. L. DEN y JI'. PHoNoGR No. 590,643. f Patented sept. 28, 1897.

W|TNESSES: i' l INVENTOI gz f lvizanzaenngs I ATTORNEY.

v "UNITE STATE-s PATEN Fries.

THOMAS, L. DENNIS, JR., OFI BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PHONOQRAPH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 590,643, datedSeptember '28, 1897.

i Application filed April l, 1897. SerialNo. 630,256. (NoAmodel.) Y

To a/ZZ whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS L.DENN1s, Jr.,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in thecounty of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in `Phonographs, of which'the following is aspecification.

My invention, while relating to that class of machines orinstrumentsknown as phonographs, has reference more particularly to the meansmadeuse of for causing the traveling diaphragm to return to itsinitialposition with respect to the record-cylinder after having completed itscourse along the length backward-carrying devices and bring the feedingmechanism again into action.

To accomplish all of this and to secure other and further advantages inthe matters of construction, Operation,and use, my improvements involvecertain' novel and useful arrangements or combinations of parts,peculiarities of construction, and principles of operation, all as willbe hereinafter more fully described, and then pointed out in thesubjoined claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form apart of thisspecification, Figure l is a plan or top view of an Ordinary form ofphonograph, showing my improvements applied in connection therewith, thediaphragm being represented at a point near the completion of itsforward course; Fig. 2, a side elevation thereof with portions at theleft'of Fig. l omitted and illustrating in dotted lines differentpositions assumed by the tripping mechanism; Fig. 3, an end view, partlyin section and partly in elevation, showing the feeding-nut in and outof engagement with the feeding-screw and indicating the course of thebelt or other connection by which the retracting-screw maybe driven; andFigs. 4 and 5, side and end views, respectively, of the extremity of thediaphragm carrier or arm, the latter figure representing the springapplied thereon and both figures omitting the revolving tripper shown inFigs. l and 2.

In all the figures like letters of reference are vemployed to designatecorresponding parts.

A indicates the record-cylinder, and B the shaft through which .it isrotated at the required times. This shaft is mounted on suitablecentersb b or in other appropriate bearings secured to or forming partsof the bed of the machine and is provided with the usual feed-threado','extending throughout a portion of its length, and with a pulley b2at one of its ends, through which its rotation is effected from themotor or other source of power by a belt or other equivalent form ofmotion-transmitting devices.

Arranged in parallelism with the shaft B is a guide-rod C, upon which isfitted to slide a sleeve D. VThis sleeve is provided at one of its endswith the segmental nut cl, that engages at the appropriate times withthe feedthread b, and at its other with the carrier or arm cl2, which,extending over the recordcylinder A, carries, in asuitable frame formedtherein, the diaphragm E and is normally supported at its free end fromthe slide -ct on the base of the machine, when the diaphragm is beingfed over the record-cylinder, by a lug or strut b3, depending from itsunder side, as shown. As thus arranged when the segmental nut CZis'brought into engagement with the feedthread b and the shaft Bisrotated in the proper direction the record-cylinder will be similarlyrotated and the diaphragm, with its carrier or arm, fed forward alongthe same, bringing the projecting stylus on its under side intoengagement with the surface thereof, and thereby permitting of eitherthe formation of appropriate indentations in such surface by theapplications of the requisite vibrations to the diaphragm or of thereproduction of the tones or speech corresponding to such indentation ifpreviously formed, as may be desired.

The several parts as thus far described,

while cooperating to produce the results speci- IOO positionautomatically after having been fed over and along the record-cylinderA, and to this end I make use of the screw-shaft F, which is j ournaledin suitable bearings 7L, formed in the stand Hin parallel relationshipto the shaft B, from which latter the shaft F is rotated through theintermediaries of the belt c and the pulleys 7b3 and f, with which suchshafts are respectively provided. In my preferred form of construction Ifind it convenient to make the screw-thread of this shaft F run in adifferent direction from that of the shaft B-as, for instance, make it aleft-hand thread if the thread b is aV right-hand oneand to rotate thetwo shafts in the same direction, but this is unessential, and both ofthe threads may be of the same hand, in which event the two shafts willbe rotated in opposite directions; but however the threads of these twoshafts may be disposed with respect to one another I iind it desirableto make the pitch of the thread of the screwshaft F considerably greaterthan that of the thread of the shaft B, whereby to insure of a greaterspeed of travel of thediaphragm when moving back to its initial positionunder the operation of the former thread.

Coperatin g with the screw-shaft F is a triarmed tripper I, the arms ofwhich are similar and preferably disposed at equal distances apartaround its axis. This tripper is pivoted to the free end of the carrieror arm d2, which is extended sufficiently beyond the supporting lug orstrut b3 to bring the former approximately over the axis of the shaft Fand is provided at its extreme end with an upturned ear if* forreception of the screw b5, upon which such tripper is pivoted.

In the construction of the tripper the arms are made of such length thatwhen either is forced into a vertical position and is in engagement withthe thread of the screw-shaf t F it will elevate the free end of thecarrier or arm d2 with the diaphragm and other attachments to such anextent as to make them clear the record-cylinder during their retractingmovement and at the same time disengage the segmental nut d fromengagement with the feed-thread In of the shaft B, as indicated indotted lines in Fig. 3. As thus constructed and arranged the plane ofrotation of the tripper is approximately coincident with a plane passinglongitudinally through the axis of the shaft F, and in order to insurethe proper engagement of its arms with the thread of such shaft I findit convenient to equip cach of their extremities with a shorttransversely-arranged cylindrical portion 7L,which is provided with acircular notch 7b2 in its side, whereby to straddle and receive theupper portion of the thread of the screw-shaft F, as shown in Fig. l.

In addition to the t-ransversely-arranged cylindrical portion 7L each ofthe arms of this tripper is likewise provided with a pin h4, projectingoutwardly from its rear side for coperation with the holding-spring fi,which is secured to the under side of the free end of the carrier or armd2, in close relationship to the plane of rotation of the inner face ofthe tripper, by a screw 2". As thus disposed each of the pins h4 will bebrought into engagement with the spring il in succession as the tripperis rotated upon its pivot and the movement of the same arrested untilthe spring is bent inward away from the path of travel of said pins,when such rotation will be resumed, and so on.

Vith the tripper I and springt' are employed stops 7a and Z, the formerof which is made in the form of a plate-spring'and is supported fromsome convenient part of the machine, as from the base-plate thereof, inline with the travel of the tripper, by a stand 7c', while the latter ispreferably made from a rigid bar in L shape and so secured tothebaseplate of the machine as to bring the extremity of its free end intoand slightly across the line of travel of the spring 1f.

The several parts being constructed `and arranged, as above explained,with the tripper I in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, theoperation of the machine willbe as follows: On rotatingthe shaft B inthe proper direction the record-cylinder will be similarly rotated andthe diaphragm carried over and along the same until the upper surface ofthe arm of the tripper I that is in advance is brought into contact withthe under side of the spring-stop 7c and the tripper so rotated therebyas to force the extremity of that arm down into engagement with thethread of the screw-shaft F, or intothe positions shown 'by dotted linesat the right of Fig. 2. The arm of the tripper having been thus broughtinto engagement with the thread of this screw will be carriedalong withit as such vshaft is rotated and the tripper rotated upon its axis untilsuch arm is carried into a vertical position, orinto the position shownby dotted lines at the left of Fig. 2, the result of which will be toraise the free end of the carrier or arm d2 with the diaphragm andthereby disengage the segmental nut d from the thread Z1 of the shaft Band stop the further feeding of the diaphragm along the record-cylinder.The arm of Vthe tripper engaged with the screwshaft F having beencarried thereby into a vertical position, the pin h4 of the nextpreceding arm of the tripper in the direction of its rotation will bebrought into contact with the spring 2', the resistance of which issufficient to prevent the further turning of the tripper. As aconsequence'of this the elevated diaphragm,with the tripper and thesegmental nut, will be carried back until in its backward movement thesprin g 'L' is brought into contact with the free end of the stop l,when the further backward movement of the parts will cause the saidspring to move inward, releasing the pin h4 from engagement Y the threadof the screw-shaft F and the return of the diaphragm and the otherparts-to their normal positions, with the segmental nut into engagementwith the thread b of the shaft B ready foranother forward movement, andso on.

In some instances I nd it convenient to secure the stand H iixedly tothe bed of the machine. I prefer, however, to provide for its verticaladjustment, whereby to insure of the proper engagement and disengagementof the segmental nut with the thread b of the shaft B by the operationof the tripper I, and for this purpose I make use of the adjustingscrewsm and n, the former of which I preferably insert into threaded orificesupward from the under side of the stand and the latter of which isprovided with a milled head and is inserted downward from the upper sideof such stand, as shown. When this arrangement of adjusting-screws isemployed, I findV it desirable to secure the stand II to the base of themachine bya screw o, passing down through the center of the former anden gaging with its free end the base below.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the improvements are simple inconstruction, efiicient in operation, and Well calculated to answer allthe purposes or objects of the invention hereinbefore alluded to.

Although in the foregoing I have described the best means contemplatedby me for carrying my invention into practice, I Wish it distinctlyunderstood that I do not limit myself strictly thereto, but reserve tomyself the right to modify the same in various ways without departingfrom the spirit thereof.

Having nowr fully described my invention and specified certain of theways in which it is or may be carried into effect, I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a phonograph, a rotatabletripper combined with the diaphragm-carrier, and a stationary stop, withwhich such tripper en gages and is rotated to effect the elevation ofthe carrier at the completion of its forward travel, substantially asand for the purposes set forth.

2. In combination, with the diaphragmcarrier having a rotatable tripper,a screwshaft for returning the carrier, and means substantially asdescribed for compelling the tripper to rotate and engage with the shaftat the time, and substantially in the manner, set forth.

3. The diaphragm-carrier, a revolving tripper mounted thereon, astationary stop havrier, a resistance-spring also mounted on said armand arranged to bear against a pin or projection on the tripper to limitits movement, substantially in the manner and for the purposes setforth.

5. The revolving tripper having the pins or projections, aresistance-spring for bearing against either of the pins, and a stopagainst which the spring is borne to release the'pin, combined andarranged for operation substantially as described and for the purposesset forth.

6. In a phonograph, a feeding-screw, feeding-nut, diaphragm carrier, anautomatically-.operating switching and tripping mechanism applied onsaid carrier, and revolving` threaded shaft for engaging the tripper andrctracting the diaphragm-carrier, combined and arranged substantially asset forth.

7. In a phonograph, the combination with the diaphragm-carrier, anautomatic tripping and switching device applied thereon, and

the revolving shaft for carrying the tripperV VVitnesSes:

FRANK S. OBER, R. F. SWEENY.

